vista will be an over priced under performed failure as usually is true with MS. its a machine resources hog and you need a machine that can handle it which usually will cost quite a pretty penny... stick to MAC or go XP vista is just a glorified XP and a stripped down MAC

I run music applications: That's why I have the system I have. Will it run NASA? never tried to but thats not my use for the system I have. Others would have to research their needs. Years ago the issue was and still is what kind of software does a person need to use. Once that is established then the next step if finding the hardware to run it on. Mac's are used in many universities for scientific research and such so i suppose that is very intense as well.

The call in to CS would never have anything to do with how intensive a user i am. My calls were always system software related which was always an issue i couldn't figure out. Outdated printers ect. can be issues as well but those are 3rd party related issues which if you have been a long time mac user you know to do a search and the conflicts are spelled out but not always fixed.

right but if you're not a heavy user you woudlnt necessarily come across certian problems that you would if you were a heavy one. its difficult to explain over the web

What problems?? :dunno: Thinks about it and explain. Your CPU and other components can either process the information or it can't.

if you use the computer on a daily basis with lots of applications for the entire day the odds that you will notice a problem are a lot higher than those if you just use the computer for 15 minutes a day to check your email on a web browser. The odds you will see a hardware issue with a machine on for 15 minutes are smaller than if your machine is on 24/7 hence light user vs heavy user

OH. well if we use those criteria then the CEO would rate me as beyond a heavy user. She thinks I'm addicted to this thing. It's on 7 days a week on average 8 hours a day at least.. OBTW I have to add that part of the reason i don't use customer service is that if there is a problem i resolve the issues myself with the diagnostic software provided by Apple and a few other vendors. Apples ease of use makes this a breeze if a person follows the monthly maintenance procedures outlined by Mac user groups and other users who have experience in resolving problems.

well thats what i was getting at, if it makes it this easy and with all that use you only had to use them 3 times total and everything else you're capable of doing your self thats what a real robust system should be. Though i do not know your level of computer expertise since if i have problems i dont call at all unless i need to send it back and it would take a lot like DOA for me to send it back. Glad we came to a final understanding and thanks for the info on MAC

I know just enough to stay out of trouble. Some unix classes ect, and on once in a while i have helped some window users get a handle on some minor problems but my thing is to ward off trouble before it starts, and of course back up back up back up. other than that, knock on wood. :rofl:

I look at the mac laptop and it looks like you would spend about $2,000 for a model with a 15 inch screen. I would think that you could get a windows based machine with the same specs for about $1,000 to $1,500. Seems like a big difference? What about the cost of software you still need word excel and PowerPoint?